“I am thirsty.”(John 19:28)Of course he is. Jesus had lost a lot of blood and it would be natural for him to feel thirsty. And thus, he makes the simple statement which held an implicit request for refreshment. Jesus was fully human, he experienced thirst just like you and I do … [Read more...] about The Fifth Word
Church
The Fourth Word
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)Jesus' words come from Psalm 22. In the Psalms, we can find expressions of our praise, our worry, our pain and our doubt as well as words of comfort when we need them. When you are unsure how to pray, looking to the Psalms … [Read more...] about The Fourth Word
The Third Word
“Woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26)Here we see Jesus entrusting his mother to John, the beloved disciple. Even in his agony, he cares for his mother. Immediately we see John take Mary into his home (vs 27). Jesus wanted to make sure that his mother was taken care of after … [Read more...] about The Third Word
The Second Word
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)The second word is addressed to one of the criminals that is being crucified next to Jesus. This criminal saw Jesus through a different lens than the other criminal. One criminal mocked Jesus, while this … [Read more...] about The Second Word
The First Word
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)How fitting that the first “word” of Jesus from the cross is a word of forgiveness! It creates a striking picture of what the cross is about: forgiveness.Who is the "them/they" that Jesus refers to? The … [Read more...] about The First Word